Nereo

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Complete text of entry:

Nereo vel nerion, Dyascorides aut nerodendron aut rododafni folia habet similia amigdale sed maiora et pinguiora et flores rodo similes, semen etiam patens sicut cornu veluti lanam deintus habens similem iacinto radix oblonga et angusta gustu salsa nascitur locis aquosis et maritimis. Plinius rododendron quamvis herba dicatur sabine rododendron ut nomine apparet a grecis venit alii nerium vocant alii rododafni que sempiternum frondet rose flore similitudine caulibus fructicosum iumentis caprisque et ovibus venenum. vocatur etiam lorandrum et est oleander apud Avicennam.


Simon's text sectioned:

Nereo vel nerion, Dyascorides aut nerodendron aut rododafni folia habet similia amigdale sed maiora et pinguiora et flores rodo similes, semen etiam patens sicut cornu veluti lanam deintus habens similem iacinto radix oblonga et angusta gustu salsa nascitur locis aquosis et maritimis.

Apparatus:

Nereo ABC | Nerea f | Nerco? e

neriõ AC | nereon ef | nercon B {'i' misread as 'c'}

aut … aut AC | ˆut … aut B | a' … a' f | au͞͞t … au͞t ms. e

nerodẽdron (-drõ A) ACD | neredẽdrõ B | nerdendron f | nedendron ms. e | norodendron Diosc. Longob.

rododafni ACD | rodofũ ul' rododafroõ B | rodaffium uel rododafium et est dc͞m rose laurus ms. e | rodafnuʒ l' rododafiũ et est dictum rosealaurus f

flores AB e | flore C | flor͡ f

rodo sil'es ABC | rodo siml'es .i. ms. e | rodho similes .i. rose f

{deintus} habens (hẽns B; hñs AC) ABC e | hʒ {=habet} f

iacinto (-cĩto ABC) ABC e | iacincto f

oblonga (-lõga AC) AC ef | oblũga B

angusta (ã- AC) ABCD ef | aguta {= acuta} Diosc. Longob.

locis ABC e | in locis f

{maritimis} & cetˇ (et cetera f) add. B f

iacinto ABC Dioscordes Longobardus; but the original Greek text has 4, 81, ed. Wellmann (1906-14: II.242): ἀκάνθινος πάππος /akánthinos páppos/ "thistle-down". The most likely explanation is that the Latin translator misread ἀκάνθινος /akánthinos/ as ὑάκινθος /hyákinthos/.

Translation:

Dyascorides calls it nereo or nerion or nerodendron or rhododafni; it has leaves like amygdalus {"an almond-tree"}, but bigger and fatter and flowers similar to rodon {"a rose"}, it also has a seed capsule opening like a horn and wool-like inside, similar to iacintus {"wild hyacinth, bluebell or blue larkspur"; see above iacinto, but the Greek Dioscoridean text says: "thistle-down"}. Its root is oblong and narrow, of salty taste, and it grows in watery places and by the sea".

Commentary:

Simon's excerpt is ultimately taken from Dioscorides Longobardus, 4, 78, ed. Stadler (1901: 44) De nerion, v.l. De nerion idest lorandro, where it says: Nerion aut norodendron aut rodafni dicunt - "They call it {i.e. oleander} nerion or norodendron or rodafni". All these synonyms have a number of variant readings in the different codices, but essentially the elements they consist of are: νήριον /nḗrion/ "oleander" and δένδρον /déndron/ "tree".
Because its leaves are reminiscent of those of the laurel and its flowers of those of the rose, some oleander names underline this perceived similarity by containing the elements ῥóδον /rhódon/ "rose"; and δάφνη /dáphnē/ "sweet bay, Laurus nobilis L.", but δάφνη /dáphnē/ can also mean other plants.

Simon's nereo is derived from Greek νήριον /nḗrion/, the word was adopted into Latin as nerium, nerion; his nereodendron is νηριόδενδρον /nēriódendron/ "oleander-tree" and it seems to be mentioned only in Dioscorides Longobardus; Simon's rododafni is ροδοδάφνη /rhododáphnē/ - in itacist pronunciation /rododáfni/ -, which means literally "rose-laurel, rose-bay".

Concerning the Greek original, Wellmann, in vol.II, book VI, chapter 81 beginning with νήριον /nḗrion/ (p. 242) lists the following synonyms: ῥοδóδενδρον /rhodódendron/ and ροδοδάφνη /rhododáphnē/.

In Wellmann's Pseudo-Dioscorides (i.e. RV version), loc.cit., chapter 81 (1906-14: II.243) beginning with ροδοδάφνη /rhododáphnē/, he mentions a different series of synonyms, but among them of interest is his statement: Ῥωμαῖοι ῥοράνδρουμ, οἱ δὲ λαυρορόσα /Rhōmaîoi rhorándroum, hoi dè laurorósa/ "the Romans call it rorandrum and others laurorosa." In rorandrum we see an early witness and precursor of the form lorandrum as well as of oleander, both late derivations of rhododendrum. Lorandrum simply shows word-initial dissimilation r > l, most likely motivated by association with 'lor-', Vulgar Latin for 'laur-', the root meaning "laurel". The fact that the plant's leaves are reminiscent of laurel is reflected in its Greek name ῥοδοδάφνη /rhododáphnē/ "rose-laurel, rose-bay", also in Latin in the above-mentioned lauro-rosa, lit. "laurel-rose" < laurus "laurel". See also Sofer p. 99 on lorandrum.
Concerning the word oleander, which developed an unusually large number of variants in Medieval Latin, there was obviously yet a further influence at work on this word, which must have been olea "olive(-tree)" and oleaster {"wild olive-tree"} leading to oleander, oleandrum etc.


Simon's text sectioned:

Plinius rododendron quamvis herba dicatur sabine rododendron ut nomine apparet a grecis venit alii nerium vocant alii rododafni que sempiternum frondet rose flore similitudine caulibus fructicosum iumentis caprisque et ovibus venenum, vocatur etiam lorandrum et est oleander apud Avicennam.

Apparatus:

sabine om. B

(sabine) rododendron (-dẽdrõ ABC) ABC f | Redodendron ms. e

ut nomine apparet om. f

apparet AC e | aparet B

nerium (-riũ A) AC | nereon B e | vericon f

rododafni AC | rododafnum (-dafn͞m? e) ef | rododafrũ B

fondet (frõ- AB) ABC e | fronde f

rose (roseo ms. e) flore ABC e | flor͡ rose f

fructicosuʒ (-sũ B f) B ef | fŕcicosũ AC

caprisqʒ B ef | caprisque A | capri sʒ C

ouibus AC (ovibus Pliny) | õnibus B | on͞ibus ms. e | oi͞b͞us f

{venenum} & cetˇ add. B f

etiam om. f

lorandrũ f | lorãdrũ AC | lorandron B | rolanduʒ ms. e

oleander AC e | oleandrũ B f

apud AC e | a͡p f | aput B

Translation:

Pliny says …. rododendron {"oleander"} and what should really be called a herb: sabina {the "savin"}. Rododendron, as the name clearly shows, comes from the Greeks; some call it nerium, others rododafni which is evergreen with a flower that is similar to a rose; it is shrubby from the stalks up and is poison to draught animals, goats and sheep.

It is also called lorandrum and it is oleander in Avicenna.

Commentary:

Simon is excerpting parts of Pliny's book 16, 33, 79, ed. Rackham (1938-63: VII.438), where Pliny is trying to distinguish classes of trees by certain features, and he distinguishes deciduous versus evergreen trees as well as wild growing versus "urban" trees, i.e. useful for man. And those urban and evergreen trees are: olive, laurel, palm, myrtle, cypress, pines, ivy, oleander and what could really be called a herb: the savin. The italicised section of the passage is the somewhat disconnected opening of the Simon's quote: rododendron quamvis herba dicatur sabine, etc.

Simon's entry closes with the statement: It is also called lorandrum, and it is oleander in Avicenna.

This refers to (Goehl) Canon Avicennae, liber II, Capitulum 532. De oleandro {followed by: id est nerio seu rhododendro}. Also: Lyon edition (1522: 112) [[1]].

The Original text is found in book II, p. 158: ﺩﻓﻠﻰ /diflā/ [[2]].


Botanical identification:

There is general agreement concerning the identification of this plant, i.e. Nerium oleander L., the "oleander" belonging to the genus Nerium that only comprises this one species [3]]. It is a plant that is toxic when consumed in large amounts.

Nerium and Rhododendron have survived into botanical Latin as the name for two different genera belonging to the family of the Ericaceae.

WilfGunther 30/12/13

See also: Oleander, Rhodafni , Defle

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